Anyone uses two shafts?

[NervousNovice]

Hello everybody.

I came from the pool planet. There the good players (and the rich, not me though) bring two shafts along with their cue butts to play. So they can switch shaft either for a different feeling, or from a regular shaft to a low deflection shaft, or to replace a snapped shaft. I recently came to the snooker planet and snooker players here don't seems to do that.

I went to those online vendors and they don't seem to have the option of letting you purchasing an extra shaft or ordering spare shafts. Why? Is it because that particular shaft must goes with that particular butt? To match the grain? Do you declare the butt useless after the shaft snapped?

Thanks a lot.

- NN

[Qubit]

I have 2 shafts. 1 maple and 1 ash. The ash is my main shaft. I got the other for comparison and as a backup. I dont play a lot of snooker these days, but the maple shaft is slightly longer and has a slightly larger tip so i usually use that when i do play snooker. (and no im not rich! )

[MinnesotaSlim]

My meucci came with two shafts, i had one turned down to 9.5mm to play snooker with, left the other at 11.5 for 8-9 ball. the butt of my cue does not have any graining to it though. I could understand having one shaft w/ a hard tip, one with a soft(one for breaking?). Depending on your shot or how you were playing that night it might do some good to switch. The problem is that you have two shafts to learn. Anyway, other than switching games or breaking a shaft, i see no need to have an extra shaft.
And no, you shouldn't just toss the butt if it doesn't have a shaft. I'm sure you can find replacements for 99% of all cues out there. Some may be harder to come by, but most manufacturers today have shafts you can purchase alone.

Slim

[MinnesotaSlim]

This is the US though, most people have a lot of things they don't need just to say they have them.

[NervousNovice]

I have 2 shafts. 1 maple and 1 ash. The ash is my main shaft. I got the other for comparison and as a backup. I dont play a lot of snooker these days, but the maple shaft is slightly longer and has a slightly larger tip so i usually use that when i do play snooker. (and no im not rich! )

Is yours custom made or production cue? If it is production cue, do you just buy an extra shaft?

[Wity]

This is the US though, most people have a lot of things they don't need just to say they have them.

lol you can say that again.

Micheal Jackson gloves.
Laser sights.
Talcom Powder.
Joint protectors.
Low squirt shafts

Oh and dont forget the one an Aussie on a Yank pool forum told me of.. the vibrating gizmo that lets you know when your not cueing straight or something. Not seen that one on any website yet so he might have just been taking the pee.

Break cues are not needed in snooker simply because theres no reason in the game to spread the pack all over the table, split then up yes but the same cue can do that just as good.

Power shots do come into snooker but they are combined with accuracy as with them we are aiming to hit and pot one ball not the far bigger target of the pack and again the one cue does the job just fine.

And of course a snooker cue's shaft will rarely break unless ones daft enough to pay American Pool with it where you hitting bigger heavier balls on a smaller table with more force and a much smaller tip.

With English pool one cue is enough too although some do use another for breaking off if that's the type of game they want to play (it's not the almost pre requisit it is in American Pool to start by spreading the balls everywhere on a break)

So as Qubit says he has two shafts but only so he could compare ash to maple and he no doubt had the one custom made to fit the other. I'd guess very few have done as he did as most would buy another cue compare choose and sell the other.

[McChen]

Haha, that is true we have a lot of gizmos in american pool ! However some are very good! For me, i must admit i wear a glove, though i wish i didn't have to. my hands get very wet and it really interferes with my cueing. washing my hands in between racks doesn't help either, it immediately is moist again, i'd have to do it every shot! talcum powder does work but it gets messy and i have keep using it alot, so i went with the glove. i think for most people a tiny bit of talcum works great, and doesn't make a mess. you see most of the pro pool players using it, but i've never seen snooker players using it. or a glove. curious. do all english people just have nice dry hands for cueing?

joint protectors are pretty useless, but they sure do make the cues look purty when they're sitting in the case, haha

low squirt shaft really do work, though i think you can adjust to a regular squirt shaft just as well. i think they make it a lot easier if you are just learning to use side.

[Wity]

Perhaps instead of thinking as most of you colonists do that everthing British is "quaint" you now realise we Brits are to coin an American phrase "Super Cool"

Seriously though having sweaty hands when playing pool I can only imagine has something to do with your metabalism, nerves, or maybe the climate. The only time i've ever had a problem with sweaty palms has been when playing squash with a leather bound handled racquet.

If a glove works for you then go with it, but please dont do any Whacho Jacko moonwalking round a snooker table

[Watford]

On hot days I've experiance sweaty hands but it seems the yanks haven't invented the beer towel yet!
But really a slightly damp bar towel (used on cue and hands) followed by a dry one quickly after to dry shaft should sort the job!

[Wity]

Give em chance mate they've only just discovered snooker. It'll be at least another hundred years before they discover real beer and the real use of a small bar towel.

Their towels are massive, and soak up way more slops. Hell it takes two of them to wring a pint back into their barrells.

[McChen]

actually i wouldn't say america has begun discovering snooker at all. i'd say 99% of people here barely have an idea what snooker is. and to find anyone that actually plays is damn impossible, i've never ever met an american snooker player. between trying to find a table to play on, paying insane shipping to get decent equipment to the states, finding people to play with, and trying to find a way to watch pro snooker, it's tough being a snooker guy in america!

[hegeland]

Hello everybody.

I came from the pool planet. There the good players (and the rich, not me though) bring two shafts along with their cue butts to play. So they can switch shaft either for a different feeling, or from a regular shaft to a low deflection shaft, or to replace a snapped shaft. I recently came to the snooker planet and snooker players here don't seems to do that.

I went to those online vendors and they don't seem to have the option of letting you purchasing an extra shaft or ordering spare shafts. Why? Is it because that particular shaft must goes with that particular butt? To match the grain? Do you declare the butt useless after the shaft snapped?

Thanks a lot.

- NN

Well that's because in pool no one should use their regular cue as break cue as the increased stress on the leather tip and ferrule and such will damage the shaft over time. Also, when you're a bit advanced you want to have a cue (shaft) that's specifically designed for breaking, with a phenolic tip on it for instance. And also most people want their break cue to be slightly lighter than their ordinary cue.

And of course in pool you are allowed to jump the cue ball, and for that you really need a different shaft with a different tip, unless you want to go the hard way a la Strickland.

So in snooker there's really no need for a second cue (shaft) as the things pool players use it for doesn't exist in the game.

[NervousNovice]

When I started this thread, I had in my mine 2 identical shafts for a single playing cue. US pool players would use an entirely separate break cue, and again another entirely separate jump cue. It is quite common for a high-end $1000USD+ pool cue to come with 2 identical shafts; so you can still play with one in case anything goes wrong with the other.

After playing snooker for a few times, I would say it's a different game. You need to be more accurate with potting balls and you don't try to force to move the cue ball around. With less English or side spin to be used, you don't need to push a snooker cue too hard to its limit.

I do find something interesting with the Bristish people that is technologically advanced than the US people, namely, snooker players would hold their cues the exact same way every time using the flat part at the end of the butt as reference while the US pool players don't bother how the cue orients.

I've heard that since natural wood is not uniform throughout the shaft; it makes a difference to the hit depending on which side up when you shoot with it. I think snooker players take that into account (maybe subconciously) but pool players don't.

Most low deflection shafts are laminated by glueing a few pieces of woods together. See here http://www.obcues.com/construction.html I think that takes care of some of the issues.

[Wity]

No idea what the percentage is but not everyone holds the cue the same way up every time. Those that do usually reckon its because they use the v's of the ash grain as a kind of lining up sight. Others refer the straight lines face of the grain to be on top for the same reason. It's just personal preference. The sliced off face in the butt once had a purpose but now it remains purely
because it's traditional.

I've heard that since natural wood is not uniform throughout the shaft; it makes a difference to the hit depending on which side up when you shoot with it. I think snooker players take that into account (maybe subconciously) but pool players don't.

Thats 100% rubbish. less of course you play with a micky mouse "Gravity cue"

Most low deflection shafts are laminated by glueing a few pieces of woods together. See here http://www.obcues.com/construction.html I think that takes care of some of the issues.

LOL Here we go again. Have a read of the following before we go down that route again...

It started off here when we were aware that Stephen Hendry was now using an Acuerate cue...
http://www.thesnookerforum.com/cues-...722-page4.html

The website for Acurate and their claims that their "non laminated"cues are more low throw than any including Americas favourite Predator as apparently tested on Predators robots n the USA is here:
www.acuerate.com

ADR147 then bought one just to get some opinions of cuemakers players and collectors their review is here:
http://www.thesnookerforum.com/cues-...view-4100.html

If you want to know how these cues work or claim to work better than any other. Theres a technical explanation in the Acurate cue review at
http://www.maximumbreak.com/ (you must join the forum in order to read it)

You may want to know what the yanks who really understand what makes up a decent cue think of the low throw phad have a read of Blacheats post entitled "Crap about deflection"
http://www.billiardsdigest.com/ccboa...=&fpart=1&vc=1

And if you think after all that you want an ACONMATE cue ADR147 still has his up for offer. I'm sure he can find another stick for his tomatoe plants.

[Peer]

I do find something interesting with the Bristish people that is technologically advanced than the US people, namely, snooker players would hold their cues the exact same way every time using the flat part at the end of the butt as reference while the US pool players don't bother how the cue orients.

I've heard that since natural wood is not uniform throughout the shaft; it makes a difference to the hit depending on which side up when you shoot with it. I think snooker players take that into account (maybe subconciously) but pool players don't.

This isn't entirely correct -- for instance, Meucci shafts have a red dot on their shafts (black on the old cues) to orientate the "consistency" position of the grain of the shaft. In addition to this, several pool players (including myself) use a marker on the ferrule for the same purpose.

-- peer